Tried to get this in the Pistons area - but it would not accept a Pistons tag - said I needed to tag at least one NFL team? huh?
This was actually a good year to NOT get the number one pick. Lucky for us, because you can bank on no lottery luck for the Pistons.
I just did a semi-deep dive on mosst of the draft prospects. While some would argue we need to trade the pick and get some veteran leadership, I wanted to be prepared to cheer (like for Ausar Thompson) or throw things at the TV (like for Killian Hayes) on draft night.
Here are my top 4:
(tie - 1) Cody Williams. This guy is a dog who can shoot and defend. He’s a little frail but I think his frame can take more. He might be the most NBA-ready prospect out there. Younger brother of Jalen Williams.
(tie-1) Donovan Clingan - A 7’3" rim protector. Duren doesn’t rack up enough blocks. Beef Stew isn’t tall enough. Wisemann is not a good basketball player. We still need a rim protector. I don’t like that he can’t shoot but that can be gotten elsewhere.
3- Devin Carter. Vince’s son and has all the intangibles and the dog in his father. His shooting improved alot this year. We need guys with backbones. Ivey/Cade need to be matched with players with fire in their eyes. Both Cody Williams and Devin Carter have that in spades.
4- Reed Sheppard - the best pure shooter in the draft, and he can defend too. I think he works with Cade, Ivey and Sasser.
Alot of mocks have us taking Matas Buzelis. I hope alot of mocks are wrong. He’s a project who cannot shoot. No. I would throw a shoe at the TV.
Is he? I watched a good bit of Colorado and he didn’t seem like a dog to me. KJ Simpson was their Alpha and De Silva was their best player. But I get that he is very likely to be a great perimeter defender so there’s a nice floor. But that package seems a bit redundant after last year.
This would be a wise pick. Then get a decent asset for Stewart. Duren Clingan front court would offer crazy good rim protection and rebounding. A bit wonky on offense but worth the trade off I’d think.
As much as I like Duren, I think it would be better to keep Stewart and trade Duren. Even if we may not get as much. Having two positions (4 and 5) not able to be a threat from 3 is just too much to overcome in today’s game. I don’t think Duren will ever be a three point shooter. If you could make a case that Clingan could be one day, only then would I keep Clingan and Duren together.
Rumor has it there will be a trade up to three for Clingan so it may all be moot.
Duren is 20 years old. He reclassified his last year of HS so in a different world he’s just entering his second year. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable saying what he could be. Duren at 20 is IMO significantly better than Stewart was at that age.
That being said I do totally get the stylistic concerns. You are trading some offensive spacing drawbacks for unreal interior defense and rebounding.
Cody Williams is definitely not a “dog”. I watched plenty of Colorado games and he looked like he couldn’t care less most of the time. He has the shooting advantage over the others like Buzelis, Holland and Castle to name 3 in the Pistons range but I think he’s too passive to fit the culture I assume they’re trying to build.
I don’t like anybody at 5 tbh. Hell, even the guy who is likely to go #1 tonight in Risacher looks to have solid role player upside. If they could trade down and get a future asset, that would be my best case scenario. If they stand pat, Buzelis I guess? He does have a pretty high ceiling although high bust potential as well.
I actually like Devin Carter, now that guy is a dog, but not sure how much offensive upside there is.
If they draft Clingan, Stewart would be the better fit now that he can shoot the 3. You can’t have two frontcourt guys that can’t score outside of 5 feet away from the basket in todays’ NBA. If the Pistons draft Clingan (which I highly doubt they will), Duren is instant trade bait.
I’ll tell you what. Skip the draft. Give me half the money you were going to spend on Pistons gear this year. We’ll go outside, I’ll kick you in the balls, and we’ll call it a day.
Well they are what, three years away from playoff contention?
Jalen Duren is 20 years old. He shot nearly 80% on his free throws. If you don’t think he’ll ever extend range beyond that then sure but I think the Pistons should be mindful of two things:
1:) upside
2:) who will fetch the best asset
And I think that for those two reasons you trade Stewart.
If worst case scenario Duren’s game does not evolve then he plays 15 minutes as a backup five and another five or so in which you go big.
Well then scratch his name, I was going by hilights and an interview.
The Pistons now remind me of when Doug Collins took over the team and they had Grant Hill and Allan Houston as their stars. He coudn’t beleive his eyes after the first few practices and how passive they were. I think he said to a reporter “I just wish someone would hit someone”. Yeah, different era, but the point is that Cade is very Grant Hill-like in demeanor. Ivey is Houston-like (in demeanor). If these two are the leaders of your team you need dogs every where else. Carter then. He’s a Chauncey Billups type dog, a Vince Carter like dog. We need dogs, dogs, and more dogs.
The again, there’s probably nobody who is a top 5 pick this year. Even Saar or Wrench-a-leer or whomever.
Right. I have no idea why people think Cade is a max player and untouchable.
Me too. If I look at indiana’s roster, they are all guys that i would have picked. Despite the malice at the Palace, I just might become a Pacers fan.
I wouldn’t trade Duren right away but I don’t see a Duren/Clingan working long term unless Duren seriously improves his perimeter skills defensively and offensively because Clingan is almost exclusively an interior presence, in a perimeter oriented league.
